Dyslexia Tutor – finding the right one!

Are you trying to find a dyslexia tutor near you but don’t know where to go or what to do? The internet is filled with tutors out there, but how do you know which one to chose and if they are qualified enough to teach a child with dyslexia. Here is everything you will need to know about finding the right dyslexia tutor for your child.

“How Can You Make Sure That You Find the Right Dyslexia Tutor for Your Child?”

You can ask speech therapists, educational psychologists and special education advocates. These professionals are usually well connected in their communities and have a network of good people they like to work together with.

“Can I Get the School to Reimburse Me for Private Dyslexia Tutor Expenses?”

Sometimes you can. School districts will reimburse parents for private dyslexia tutor expenses if the district agrees that the school is not providing an appropriate education. Almost always, in my years of working with parents and dyslexia tutors, the parent has to take the school district to a due process hearing to get reimbursed. This means parents have to hire a Special Education Attorney or Advocate. Some parents end up removing their children from public school for part of the day or for a specified time in order to bring their child to a private dyslexia tutor. The school needs to agree with this arrangement.

“Can I Use a Dyslexia Tutor in a Small Group Setting?”

Sometimes, a dyslexia tutor will work with students in groups. This is an option to consider if you know of other children in the same situation. A group setting will reduce the cost and your child may learn from the other kids as well. The downside to a group session is that your child may not have the benefit of an exclusive one-on-one learning situation with a dyslexia tutor. This can make progress a bit slower as well.

“Which Program Should My Dyslexia Tutor be Using?”

Your dyslexia tutor needs to be using an Orton-Gillingham reading program. This program needs to be structured, systematic, cumulative and extremely repetitive. It also needs to be multisensory. Most Orton-Gillingham programs will use a very specific scope and sequence. It is crucial that the dyslexia tutor follow this scope and sequence precisely and not skip around. If you have an amazing tutor that you love that is not trained in Orton-Gillingham, then you can provide a program for them to follow and use with your child. You can also homeschool or tutor your own child with an Orton-Gillingham tutoring program. Some dyslexia tutoring programs that I recommend for tutors or homeschool parents to use are:

After selecting a dyslexia tutor, make sure that you receive regular progress assessments along each step of the way. Ask the dyslexia tutor to provide you with tutoring session plans on a regular basis so you can follow along with your child through their scope and sequence. Good Luck finding a dyslexia tutor and if you need more assistance – feel free to contact me personally.

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

Karina Richland, M.A., is the author of the PRIDE Reading Program, a multisensory Orton-Gillingham reading, writing and comprehension curriculum that is available worldwide for parents, tutors, teachers and homeschoolers of struggling readers. Karina has an extensive background in working with students of all ages and various learning modalities. She has spent many years researching learning differences and differentiated teaching practices. You can reach her by email at info@pridereadingprogram.com or visit the website at www.pridereadingprogram.com